


Promises

by Gremkt



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Gen, Templar Carver Hawke, platonic sibling relationships, vague discussions of the Circles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 22:14:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28999602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gremkt/pseuds/Gremkt
Summary: “I won’t ever let anything bad happen to you, Bethany,” Carver said, reaching for his sister’s hand. “I promise.”A 15 year old Carver and Bethany discuss the possibility of life in the Circle and Carver makes a promise, one that will influence his choices in Kirkwall later in life.
Relationships: Bethany Hawke & Carver Hawke
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Promises

**Author's Note:**

> There’s a few non specific references to Bethany’s death, FYI <3  
> Apologies in advance for any of errors missed when I edited

Lothering was beautiful in spring, the grass green and the sun bright and warm. Flowers bloomed along the bank of the river as the Hawke twins enjoyed a free afternoon, Bethany’s eyes closed as she took in the warmth as Carver’s knife whittled a stick to a point.

“Hey Carver,” Bethany said, her hand dangling limply in the water, the slow current brushing her fingers as she twisted to look at him. She dropped a leaf in the river, watching until it disappeared from view before she continued. “What do you think the Circles are really like?” 

Carver wrinkled his nose in thought. 

“Boring and full of rules, probably,” he said. “Father talks like they’re pretty strict.  _ You’d _ probably hate it.”

Bethany poked her tongue out at him. 

“Like  _ you _ ever follow any rules,” she said. “You’ll drive Mother mad with it one day.”

“Garrett’ll drive her mad long before I do. Besides,  _ you _ just don’t get caught.”

Bethany laughed, the water changing slightly as she moved her fingers. She raised a hand covered in tiny ice crystals, shards that caught the light, glinting before returning to their liquid form, dripping back into the water. 

“What do you think would happen if they caught us?” she asked finally, her eyes watching the last of the water drip from her hand. “They don’t like any mages outside the Circles and there’s three of us. They’d take us all if they knew. And from what Father says, they’d likely send us across the country to split us up.”

“I’d follow you,” Carver said, meeting her gaze as earnestly as he could. “If you ever end up in the Circle, I’ll… I’ll find you. I’ll break you out. We can run away together, like Mother and Father did.” His chin raised in defiance with his words, defiance at the very idea the Templars could even try to keep him from his sister. He’d travel the length of Thedas and fight the stars themselves if it would keep her safe. “I’m not a mage, they wouldn’t try lock me up.”

“They might if you tried to break into one of the circles,” Bethany pointed out, splashing water at him. He threw a piece of grass at her.

“Then I’d escape. I’d run away from them and then I’d find you, no matter where they put you, and we’d run away like Mother and Father did,” he said. “And when you were safe, I’d go back and save Garrett and Father too,whenever they end up.”

“I don’t get to come and help rescue them?” Bethany asked, one eyebrow arched in question as she looked at him.

“Course you do,” Carver said. “We’d rescue them together. Can’t keep us Hawkes in a Circle.”

It was something he’d often heard his father say, in the privacy of their own home, with nobody around to report them and try to change the truth of that statement. And he knew his sister. He knew that if she was determined to help, to do anything really, then nothing would stand in her way. 

Bethany lay back, the flowers cheerful around her as she relaxed into the grass. Carver returned to the piece of wood in his hands, continuing to work it to a point. He still wasn’t sure why, what purpose this particular stick would serve, but it was nice to have something to do with his hands. 

“Do you think I’d be ok in a Circle? If they did catch us?” Bethany asked suddenly, sitting up again. “I don’t think I’d like it if they took me away. Especially if they took me from you.” 

Carver didn’t quite know how to answer that, and Bethany seemed to recognise it.

“Where is this coming from, Beth?” he asked instead, frowning at her. “Did something happen?” 

But she shook her head, steam now rising from the water around her fingers. Carver couldn’t imagine being able to do such things with just your hands but his family seemed to find it so easy. Sometimes he wondered what that must be like. Other times he was just grateful he didn’t have to know, didn’t ever have to fear being taken and locked away the way his sister did. 

“Nothing happened,” she said. “There were some Templars in Lothering last week, new ones passing through. Father and I saw them. It just made me wonder, that’s all.”

“Oh.”

Neither of them had mentioned that there’d been new Templars around. Carver wondered if his brother had been told, or his mother. Did everyone know except him? Or had it really just been something inconsequential, not worth mentioning at all?

“I think you’d be fine,” he said. “Everyone always loves you and you can kick their asses if they don’t.” 

“I think the Templars are there specifically stop that from happening,” Bethany pointed out but she sounded amused. 

“Maybe I could be a Templar,” Carver said. “If I can’t get you out, I’ll just join you there. Then I can protect you anyway.” 

“I’d feel safer with a Templar like you around,” she said. A small breeze brushed past them, catching a strand of hair, making it dance in front of her face, and Carver felt a particularly strong rush of affection for his twin, one stronger than usual. “You’d stop anything bad from happening, to me or to any other mage. I know it.”

“I won’t ever let anything bad happen to you, Bethany,” Carver said, reaching for his sister’s hand. “I promise.”

“Love you Carv,” she said, squeezing his hand. 

“Love you Beth.” Carver gripped her hand firmly, more said between them with the simple contact than could have been said with words. 

He found himself so caught up in the moment that he failed to see the glint that crept into his sister’s eyes, failed to see it coming when she yanked him forward, pulling him firmly into the water with a splash with an utterly wicked laugh. 

  
* ~ *

The gates of Gallows stood tall and imposing, making Carver feel small as he stood between them. He felt even smaller now than he usually did, standing there alone, the enormity of the choice he was about to make in front of him. 

The words his brother had spoken before departing on his Maker forsaken expedition echoed in his mind, mixing with his mother’s pleas to leave Carver behind. The Deep Roads was too dangerous for Carver, apparently, but she was happy to let his brother go, to risk himself without Carver there to even try and protect him.

He’d do anything to keep his family safe but he never seemed to get the chance. His father, lost to an illness he could do nothing to stop. His sister, who he had been too slow to protect. And now he was here, stuck in Kirkwall, praying desperately to the Maker that his brother came home in one piece, that the size of his family wouldn’t shrink to just two. 

But as occupied as his mind was with his brother’s words, with his mother’s, it was a different conversation that played on his mind. 

_ “I’d feel safer with a Templar like you around,” _ Bethany had told him that day, all those years ago.  _ “You’d stop anything bad from happening, to me or to any other mage. I know it.” _

It was too late to protect her now. Carver had promised to keep her safe, and he had failed, despite all of his best intentions, despite how hard he had tried, and he lived with that failure every day. 

Carver may not have been able to keep his twin sister safe, may not have been given the opportunity to even  _ try _ to help his brother return from the Deep Roads, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try to help others. There were people, mages, just like Bethany, who deserved to be safe as well. 

He paused a moment longer, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves before he stepped forward, heading towards the nearest Templars inside the fortress. They watched his approach.

“My name is Carver Hawke,” he said, trying to keep his voice loud and clear. “I want to talk to the Knight Commander.”

**Author's Note:**

> I’m just very emotional about the Hawke family. And once the idea of Carver joining the Templars in an attempt to fill a promise to Bethany that he’s no longer able to wedged itself in my head, I had to try write it. 
> 
> Come find me on tumblr at [kirkwallgremlin](http://kirkwallgremlin.tumblr.com) where I yell about Carver Hawke a lot and also Dragon Age in general ^_^


End file.
